Are you trolling or do you want an honest response how electric cars will be beneficial?

For starters, for the SAME AMOUNT of energy created, a big (even coal-fired) power plant generates a lot less pollution per KWH/horsepower than an ICE.

Second, the grid has times when it generates excess energy. Right now that's mostly at night. You can't stop and start a coal fired or a nuke like you can a gas peaker plant. Power is dirt cheap at night, and it's a perfect time to recharge an electric car. Why wouldn't you want to pay the equivalent of 11 cents per gallon to fuel up your car?

In the very near future, renewables like solar will produce excess energy on both sunny and windy afternoons. In Hawaii and California (and western Australia) , they already do, to the point where the grid operator actually has to PAY other utilities to burn up that electricity for them. Far better to use it to charge consumers' cars (and home batteries) for cheap or free.

(Not that greedy utilities are known for passing along their savings when they're able to BUY electricity cheaply on the wholesale market, but that's another battle for another day)

As a homeowner with 4KW of solar panels (a very small grid-tied system), I face the SAME SITUATION. Generating more power than I can use on cold, sunny mornings, and the local utility won't pay me squat for it. A battery, either a Tesla Powerwall, LG whatever, OR an electric car to charge during times of excess power would save me EVEN MORE money than "donating" it to the grid. I could use self-produced energy either for 11 cent-per-gallon equivalent transportation or to power my house AFTER DARK.

For a lot of two-car families having one electric for scooting around town (or commuting) makes a ton of sense.

All the stupid pictures of AOC holding an outlet strip plugged into itself suggests to me that many here really aren't interested in an honest reply, just an echo chamber. After all, it is a CORVETTE forum.

When your Vette gets outrun by some ugly-*** Tesla econobox one day... you'll just hate them even more.

But you'll buy one for your daughter.

Great post, thanks.

One thing you left out: back when I used to commute by car, there were long periods every day where I was sitting in traffic. During the stationary time, my ICE continues to burn fuel, as do all the other cars around me. If I was in an electric car, no fuel is being used when I am stopped. This might only add up to a gallon or so of gas per week for my car, but multiply that by millions of cars commuting every week, and we are talking about a huge number of gallons of gas NOT being wasted in that manner.

One thing you left out: back when I used to commute by car, there were long periods every day where I was sitting in traffic. During the stationary time, my ICE continues to burn fuel, as do all the other cars around me. If I was in an electric car, no fuel is being used when I am stopped. This might only add up to a gallon or so of gas per week for my car, but multiply that by millions of cars commuting every week, and we are talking about a huge number of gallons of gas NOT being wasted in that manner.

Not entirely true AC, and especially heat can take quite a hit on range of an electric car.

I buy gas at my convenience. The convenience is I can run that sucker until it's on fumes, spend 3 minutes at the station and go again. Very convenient. If I am out in the middle of nowhere and running low and juice, I can't even go knock on a farmer's door and get a gallon. I can't call a wrecker to come and juice me up so I can get to a station. The infrastructure does not exist to compete from a convenience standpoint. Rewiring the house, possibly buying solar panels yada yada. I'm not completely opposed to it. I could see me driving a fast as hell electric with the right styling, when the industry gets it's **** together. I'll never even be a passenger in a Prius. I don't even park near them because I don't want their funk near me.

You know what real convenience is.....just plugging your car into the plug in the garage that is probably next to where you park now. Yes until the system is built up like Gasoline distribution is it will require planning on the part of the user, but you can't fill up at home with gasoline unless you have a tank at home which is dangerous and illegal in most states. EVs are all about choices....you can have an EV and just plug it into your 110 volt plug, or you can put in a 220 volt line like your dryer and charge faster. You can buy solar panels and drive for free or very low cost depending on SREC programs in your state. And you can also just keep your ICE car and leave it at that.

I'm not a green weenie, and I don't have an electric car. But I do like to do my part, and it is possible to choose your home energy sources as renewable. Here's what I do.....so if I did choose to buy and recharge an electric vehicle.....it would be recharged by renewables.

You know what real convenience is.....just plugging your car into the plug in the garage that is probably next to where you park now. Yes until the system is built up like Gasoline distribution is it will require planning on the part of the user, but you can't fill up at home with gasoline unless you have a tank at home which is dangerous and illegal in most states. EVs are all about choices....you can have an EV and just plug it into your 110 volt plug, or you can put in a 220 volt line like your dryer and charge faster. You can buy solar panels and drive for free or very low cost depending on SREC programs in your state. And you can also just keep your ICE car and leave it at that.

Like I said, I'm not against it. I'm not the type to buy the first VCR, Big screen, iPhone, etc. I let the dust settle, let the industry standardize, let the bugs get worked out. When it is reliable and proven WITH style, I'd consider it. Head to head, if a Corvette in the future was available as an electric or ICE, I would have a difficult time deciding.

Currently I have 85 Lithium ion batteries I need to ship. I have to have special packaging, special labeling, MSDS, etc. even with all of that, NO airline will accept them. They have been stuck at my office for three weeks trying to figure out how to get them to the customer. If they are the perfect energy source, why are they treated like a pariah?

My understanding is that not only will more power plants (likely gas powered--or wind turbines or solar, etc) be needed...more importantly, the current grid cant handle the load? So from my understanding, it's like having Tom Brady at QB and an O line from a high school doing the blocking. Meaning it is far behind a power plant issue.

And from what I've heard, upgrading the grid will cost trillions ($10? $20?) and take 20, 30, 50+ years top to bottom to support a nation where, say, 90% of vehicles are electric.

Anybody care to clarify?

Sure if everybody started driving electric cars today, there would be issues with the grid. But no one is going to ban ICE cars, and anybody saying they can or will is dreaming. This will be a long drawn out shift and I highly doubt that ICE engines will ever be gone completely. The grid will continue to be built up to meet demand. Do you think we use the same amount of electricity we used in the 50s today?? Also you need to keep in mind inventions and advances in technology in the future.....did you ever think there would be a 650 HP corvette that can get 30 miles to the gallon when you want, back when corvettes making 450 HP where a big deal and getting 8 or 9 miles to the gallon at best.

Like I said, I'm not against it. I'm not the type to buy the first VCR, Big screen, iPhone, etc. I let the dust settle, let the industry standardize, let the bugs get worked out. When it is reliable and proven WITH style, I'd consider it. Head to head, if a Corvette in the future was available as an electric or ICE, I would have a difficult time deciding.

I a right there with you my friend....I only buy the latest model vette after the bugs have been worked out. I don't rush out to get the latest I phone. I also did a lot of research before I installed my solar panels but after I did I was very happy.

Its called a battery....it allows you to carry electricity with you...I know it sounds like magic, but you can even use one in tools like drills and saws that once had to be plugged in. As for the expense??? How can a vehicle that needs no gasoline , or oil changes, be more expensive than a car that needs all of that to run?? The Average driver in the US drives 1000 miles a month.....electric cars have ranges of over 300 miles even after taking into consideration that you don't want to run under 20%. That means that the average driver would have to charge the car once a week. Do you call that not practical???

Great smart *** answer, your assuming this average person will never drive more than 150 miles away from home.

Great smart *** answer, your assuming this average person will never drive more than 150 miles away from home.

Or assuming that there are charge stations near where this average person works.....But of course this doesn't work for everybody....hell ICE cars don't work for everybody. It is just another choice.....if the person making the choice doesn't consider the need to charge the car, he would be pretty lame....just like if a person never looks at his gas gauge, that would also be pretty lame.

I buy gas at my convenience. The convenience is I can run that sucker until it's on fumes, spend 3 minutes at the station and go again. Very convenient. If I am out in the middle of nowhere and running low and juice, I can't even go knock on a farmer's door and get a gallon. I can't call a wrecker to come and juice me up so I can get to a station. The infrastructure does not exist to compete from a convenience standpoint. Rewiring the house, possibly buying solar panels yada yada. I'm not completely opposed to it. I could see me driving a fast as hell electric with the right styling, when the industry gets it's **** together. I'll never even be a passenger in a Prius. I don't even park near them because I don't want their funk near me.

Currently I have 85 Lithium ion batteries I need to ship. I have to have special packaging, special labeling, MSDS, etc. even with all of that, NO airline will accept them. They have been stuck at my office for three weeks trying to figure out how to get them to the customer. If they are the perfect energy source, why are they treated like a pariah?

I am pretty sure I could puncture my gas tank and infinite number of times without it flaring up like that battery.

There is a danger filling up that a static electric spark could set your car on fire....yes the batteries can be dangerous, but don't pretend that no one ever dies from gas tank explosions.....The pinto was only one of these cars that became infamous.